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UComp specializes in onsite computer repair, remote computer repair, web site design, and logo design. |
We understand that computing now days can get
very confusing. We know, we have spent years learning the ins and outs of computer
systems. We are here to help you get past that confusion. There are a host
of self help links and downloads available for your PCs health. Please sit
back
and enjoy your experience at our web site. If you find that the self help links
and information in the knowledge base do not satisfy your needs please contact
us and we will help resolve your technical issue(s).
 Remote Assistance
With remote assistance, we can teach you as
we fix your problem(s). This is a great way for you to expand on your computer
savvy. Lets face it, when you
drop your computer off at the local repair shop, you just have no idea what
they do with it to get it to work.
We have had some customers voice concerns
about "letting someone into my system". Well, utilizing the remote assistance,
you get to see absolutely EVERYTHING we do to fix your computer. You are free
to
take notes, ask questions, or stop at anytime you wish. We feel that this is
a better method than unhooking all of your peripherals and dropping it of for
a week or two. You just have no way of knowing what they will look at on your
computer.
 Computer Health
First and foremost we would advise you to utilize
some of the same tools that IT professionals use to fix and protect their own
computers and networks. They are available through this site. If you want to
minimize risk to your computer system follow the steps outlined below. If you
arrived here, because it is too late, please get in contact with us and we
will get you back up an running.
- Download and
install Ad-Aware ® SE Personal Edition. This
is a free and simple tool to utilize. It will close down ports on your computer
that unethical developers use to monitor your internet activities.
The code that this program stops can do anything from record your internet
usage and send it back to the governing host or even allow a hacker to
take total control over you computer. This is one of the first steps to
take. Once you run the first scan, it will protect you from getting more
spyware, adware, and other data mining bugs. The
basic SE version is free. It does have plug-ins available
that will greatly enhance the functionality of this program. If you are
experiencing internet connection difficulties
this may very well take care of your problem. When you connect to the internet,
you only have a limited amount of bandwidth to utilize to communicate to
the outside world. In a great many cases with spyware, it will eat up your
bandwidth. This is why is slows down your connection. Furthermore, most
spyware is poorly written. It can reek havoc with your system; causing
lockups and frequent disconnects from the internet. The initial scan that
you perform will take a great deal of time. The anti-spyware software has
to compare signatures to each file. The more files that you have on your
system, the longer the scanning will take.
- Download and
install RegClean. This is a free software utility provided by Microsoft ® to
remove erroneous values from you Windows
Registry. The point is that as you add and remove software from your system,
the registry can get full of entries that are no longer valid. If you get enough
of these entries, they can really slow your system down. We have seen cases
where the registry becomes corrupted and the client has to re-install the operating
system. This is a very good maintenance tool to utilize.
- Download and install an anti-virus program. There are a lot
of virus detection software programs available. They range from free (usually
Trial Versions)
to ~$65+ per licence. Our clients mainly use these three: AVG, Norton Anti
Virus, & McAfee.
The key to ANY virus program is to maintain the
virus definitions. To explain in further detail: Every virus has a specific
signature that it leaves. Whether it be embedded in a file, or a stand alone
virus, they
all have a unique signature. The virus definition files contain a list of each
virus's unique signature. This is why scanning for viruses (system scan) usually
is a lengthy process. The virus checking program must open each file and compare
each item on the virus definition list to the contents of the file. Obviously,
the more files that you have on your computer, the longer this process takes.
As you may have gathered, we (computer geek's) are in the habit of using naming
conventions for computer health that are paralleled to human health. This just
shows that some of us spend too much time with our computers attached to the
hip. However, it does aid the beginning to moderate computer user in understanding
the parallels properly. In keeping with this idea we will utilize the virus
parallel.
- As you probably understand, a biological virus will enter its host
through the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth. Computer viruses enter your system
through email, CD, floppy disks, network shares, instant messaging, web
downloads, web sites etc. If you can firmly grasp this principle, then
you may have a better understanding of how to protect yourself. I would
not be the first person in line to shake someone's hand whom obviously
had the flu. Much the same, I do not open suspicious content that could
potentially infect my computer.
 Web Design
We don't use templates to create our customers web sites. We feel that every
web site created should be custom tailored to our
customers needs.
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